Minnesooota 2008!!!

So my first visit to Minnesota was a success! I got there on Saturday July 12th around 5PM, with Britt meeting me at the airport. Our first stop, gas station convenience store to pick up some Vitamin Water and a Red Bull, as I was beyond tired (I had gotten up at 5AM that day). Afterwards, we stopped by the grocery store to buy a few of my essential needs: lactose free milk, cookies, chips, salsas, and other junk food (Britt’s family is super healthy, so they wouldn’t have any of these products).

Anyways, after an hour at the grocery store, we finally headed to her parent’s home… and met her parents + younger brother! We got there just in time for cocktail hour (ale beers, yeah!) and then dinner… after the meet & greet and answering a whole bunch on questions from the parents, that night we headed over to a bar to meet some of Britt’s friends and ended the night around 2AM. The entire week was spent doing errands, a little shopping (visited the Mall of America, where jeans, caps, and CDs where purchased), having dinner with her family, and meeting her extended family (they were around starting on Wed thru Sat night). On Thursday, we got to party in Wisconsin (woohoo!), for it was Britt’s brother’s bday… sad to report, this was my only experience in Wisconsin.

I also got to hang around with Jud on Sunday, as we went to a Twins game (they were playing the Texas Rangers). At the Metrodome, they were at least two Central American people: the Rangers starting pitcher from Nicaragua (Vicente Padilla), and your host! Central America represent! Overall, the trip was extremely positive and I really like Britt’s family… now, her parents are planning on coming down around Oct/Nov08… we’ll see how that goes.

Britt and I chilling at Lake Harriet in MN... so many freaking lakes... everybody is outside jogging, biking, rollerblading, walking, etc...

Carlos, Britt, Megwen, Tara, and Keely (Britt's college friends)

Carlos, Molly, Britt, and Mark (Britt's younger bday). I bought him a number of shots in the hope of getting him drunk, but alas, it was not to be...

At the MetroDump... Go Twinkies!!!

Britt's family... Starting of the left: Nick (Britt's older brother), Marlo (Nick's gf), Mark (Britt's younger brother), Drew (Nick's friend), Bob (Britt's dad), your host (Britt's bf), Mary (Britt's mom), and Britt (que chula!).

View of downton Minneapolis from Jud's office... Stillwater (where Britt's family lives) was about 30 mins away... kinda of a rural area (saw plenty of cornfields).

On other fronts, it’s raining like crazy down here now in Guatemala… they have been lots of mudslides and roads sometimes get completely covered in water, making evening rush-hour more chaotic than usual. I just had to invest in new tires for my car, after a little incident in which one of my tires exploded after going into a huge pothole (more like a crater).

My mom is heading to the UK for the entire month of September, to visit my sister and her grandkids… I haven’t seen Marnix and Noah since Xmas last year and probably won’t see them this year, as their going to Haiti this time for the holidays… que lastima!

That’s it for now… until the next inning… later!

Abrazos,
CRCP

P.S. - I might try and run a 5K or 8K cross country in August… we’ll keep you posted.
P.S. II - Another Late Show Top Ten…

Late Show’s Top Ten Signs Barack Obama is Overconfident
10. Unlike Al Gore, he's decided to get fat before the election
9. Offered Bush 20 bucks for the "Mission Accomplished" banner
8. Asked guy at Staples, "Which chair will work best in an oval-shaped office?"
7. The affair with Barbara Walters
6. Having head measured for Mount Rushmore
5. Visiting White House this weekend to learn how to use Bat-Signal
4. He's voting for Nader
3. Offered McCain a job in gift shop at Obama Presidential Library
2. Announced his running mate will be Andy Dick
1. Been cruising for chicks with John Edwards

Things to come...

As you may or may not know, Britt and I have been together for 9 months now, woohoo! Her family has invited over to her home state on Minnesota for a family reunion that will be happening over the summer. I’ll go from not knowing anybody in her family, to knowing even her cousin cousin’s cousin… I fly out to MN this Saturday July 12th , coming back on Monday July 21st. Hopefully things will go smoothly, as I consider myself quite the charmer (my dimples really help in that department)… and if thinks start going sour, I’ll pretend not to speak any English and start doing the garden or cleaning the cars or something… I have only seen Britt mingle with people here in Guatemala, and I really look forward to see how she interacts around her family and more familiar surroundings…

This should be a really fun trip, as I’ll be meeting the family and trying to impress them / doing a little bonding, some shopping, and catching a Twins game at the Metrodump with Jud… Also in the plan, an outing to P.F. Chang’s and a lot of ale beers… oh yeah! By the way, already ordered some stuff through Amazon: Darjeeling Limited CD, new Gavin Degraw CD, and Charlie Wilson's War DVD...

Besides that, work is beyond busy, as I just finished organizing a regional workshop, with attendees form all over Central America… all the logistics & small details that go in organizing one of these events is quite time consuming and somewhat frustrating (time changes, crazy requests, etc…). Good thing was it was in Antigua, so I didn’t have to commute to the city everyday…

Saludos a todos…

Abrazos,
CRCP

P.S. Speaking of summer and the beach, another Late Show Top Ten…
Late Show's Top Ten Things You Don't Want To Hear At The Beach

10. "You're going to have to put on a top - oh, sorry, sir"
9. "Forget about sharks, I thought I saw a tomato in the water"
8. "Due to the mortgage crisis, we're foreclosing your sandcastle" (could happen)
7. "We're out of mayo; use the Coppertone"
6. "Wow, that lifeguard can really put away the gin"
5. "The water? It's about eleven miles that way"
4. "I know you're not drowning, but would you like mouth-to-mouth anyway?"
3. "Giant squid! Run for your lives!"
2. "Are you here for the Al Qaeda summer picnic?"
1. "Now where did I bury Grandpa?"